Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

For the second straight game, Syracuse barely survived against subpar competition. Following a four-point win over Le Moyne last Tuesday, the Orange pulled off a razor-thin victory over Colgate. Eddie Lampkin Jr. led SU with 15 points while Chris Bell poured in 14 — all of which came in the second half. J.J. Starling chipped in with 12 points, but dealt with foul trouble all night, playing just 23 minutes.

The Orange had a chance to pull away in the second half. A 13-3 run off the bat helped SU jump out to a 53-40 lead. But Colgate chipped away and made the Orange sweat it out. Syracuse held on, albeit in ugly fashion again.

The next challenge for SU is Youngstown State. The Penguins are coming off a 22-10 season where they finished second in the Horizon League standings. This season, YSU is picked to be in the middle of the pack in the conference after losing its top five scorers from last season.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) will fare against Youngstown State (1-1, 0-0 Horizon League)

Zak Wolf (2-0)
Cupcake City
Syracuse 85, Youngstown State 70

The alarm bells are already ringing among Syracuse fans after two close games against a below-average Le Moyne team and a rebuilding Colgate. If this one is close, they’ll increase to a deafening level. And rightfully so. There shouldn’t even be a question about whether this game will be tight at any point. Though the Orange give no reason for anyone to believe they can handily defeat anyone.

Yet here I am, picking them to win with ease. This is solely on the basis that Youngstown State isn’t a good team. The Penguins lost their entire rotation from last season and aren’t as strong, meaning SU shouldn’t have any trouble getting by them.

If Syracuse does struggle, it’ll likely come down to its transition defense. Head coach Adrian Autry lambasted his team’s effort in that department against Colgate, where it allowed 22 points. If the Orange can slow YSU down, they’ll have no trouble getting by.

One player Syracuse needs to get going is Starling. The junior played just 23 minutes against Colgate and fouled out late. The Orange have yet to find a go-to player at the end of games. Starling needs to be that. Though they likely won’t need him to step up against Youngstown State, it’s something to keep an eye on going forward.

Aiden Stepansky (2-0)
Last layup
Syracuse 79, Youngstown State 68

This team might not be good. Syracuse’s defense has been unimpressive, to say the least, and has staged off two catastrophic scares to open its season. SU’s defense currently ranks 144th in the nation, according to KenPom, yet is still 2-0. Despite the negative talk surrounding the program, wins are wins.

It might not be pretty, but Syracuse will continue its winning ways Saturday. Youngstown State’s offense turned in a putrid showing in its last game against Ohio State, scoring 47 points and having only Cris Carroll score in double figures. I expect the Penguins to have an improved attack against the Orange but still not do nearly enough to keep up with them.

SU is just 26% from beyond the arc, but I see it having a faster start, with Bell getting involved earlier on and Starling finding nylon more often than he has so far this season. Youngstown State poses a threat inside with 7-foot-3 Gabe Dynes, but he hasn’t proven to do much offensively, making his mark mostly on the defensive end.

This won’t come down to the wire quite like Syracuse’s opening two games. But it will serve as the final layup before a rigorous nonconference stretch, including Texas and Tennessee, and its ACC schedule.

Justin Girshon (2-0)
Still mid
Syracuse 80, Youngstown State 72

Per KenPom’s rankings, Youngstown State will be the best team Syracuse faces across its season-opening three-game homestand. Following the logic SU only beat No. 337 Le Moyne by four points and No. 226 Colgate by two, the Orange should be in danger facing the No. 185 Penguins.

Luckily for SU, Youngstown State isn’t all that good — even if it might be rated higher than the lowly opponents it’s barely squeaked by. And for that reason, there’s no reason to believe Syracuse will lose.

While the Orange themselves also might not be that good, I refuse to believe they win by a possession or two at home for the third straight game. Yet, I’m still not convinced they’re capable of breaking off a big run and cruising to a win.

It’ll come down to the little things for SU. Communicating. Playing team defense. Making open shots. Right now, Syracuse’s bar is extremely low.

As Autry alluded to postgame Tuesday, this is a new team still trying to figure things out. There’s no reason to believe much of its problems will be fixed over the next several days, but I do have optimism in seeing slight progress before a likely brutal run ensues.

Published on November 13, 2024 at 11:30 pm